Exempt life-saving drugs from 'any levies': Mazumdar-Shaw

Says levying any kind of duty on life saving drug does not resonate well with the healthcare mission

Levying any kind of duty on life-saving drugs does not resonate well with India’s affordable health care mission, said Biocon Chairman and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (pictured) on Sunday.

“We should, as a country, exempt life saving drugs from any kind of levies. Because after all you want affordable access,” Mazumdar-Shaw told NDTV.

Recently, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) had issued a notification withdrawing exemption of levy of basic customs duty on as many as 74 drugs. The medicines on which customs duty will now be imposed include the ones used for treating kidney stones, cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy, life-threatening heart rhythm disorders, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, bone diseases and antibiotics to treat infections.

Besides, drugs used for bacterial infections, leukemia, anesthetic medication, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis B virus cells, allergies, arthritis, lupus and ulcerative colitis might also see spurt in prices.

Apart from that, drugs used in blood dilating medicine would also attract customs duty.

However, experts believe the move seems to be in line with the government's objective to rationalise the duty exemptions.